Waking Up
by KatrinaEagle
Summary: Sora never knew what he had until he stopped seeing and started dreaming. Roxora one-shot


**A/N: **…Aaaaaand, FINALLY this is finished! I've been working on this baby since March, haha! It took such a long time! But it's also sort of long, and I've tried working with a more surreal style as opposed to my usual wicked humor, so it's all good, I hope. I spent so much time on this. :'D Based on canon, but not really so- I think this would be placed after Roxas meets Sora, but before Sora wakes up for real. Enjoy. **A/N end**

**IMPORTANT NOTE: **I changed the ending slightly, because the original one was the inspiration for the entire story, so I thought I could keep it. But during the writing process, the story didn't turn out quite like how I planned it to, so if I use the original ending it would be... weird. Thus, I tweaked the ending a little, and I'm quite satisfied at how everything came out. Just a note, which I don't think is really all that necessary, since I've only had 8 hits (sob sob) and no reviews as of yet... But still! :D

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**Waking Up**

_A Roxas/Sora Fanfiction_

_One-shot_

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The only thing Sora could remember when he woke up was his name.

It was only afterwards that his memories came back in bits and pieces, some blurred, some he couldn't make heads or tails of, but all of them completely silent. Mouths moved, but he heard nothing. He mentioned this to Namine, the girl who was with him in an apparently empty mansion. Namine had smiled and told him not to worry about it, so he didn't. Perhaps that was what happened when one had been asleep "for a long, long time". Perhaps memory just left you after awhile. From the way Namine said it, Sora decided that 'memory' was a very fickle and unreliable thing to have.

* * *

><p>Even though Namine had never said anything about leaving, he somehow got the feeling that he wasn't supposed to go anywhere. He could see from his room that the front gates were locked and there was nothing of interest outside in the forest clearing, so he decided to look for Namine in her room.<p>

Surprisingly, she wasn't there. There was, however, an open sketchbook and a box of crayons, the only colorful things in a sea of white. Sora moved to the centre of the room and glanced curiously at the sketchbook. It was a half-finished drawing of him and a blonde with spiky hair dressed in black. Sora doesn't remember knowing him, but he doesn't remember much anyway, so it lets it pass. He flicked through the rest of the sketch-book only to find more pictures of the blonde and other people, and nothing else of him. Sora then concluded that the blonde was Namine's friend, and not his like he has previously thought. He instantly less guilty for not remembering him.

Namine's soft footsteps echoed in the silent mansion, and Sora closed the sketchbook quietly before turning around to face her. She blinked, not expecting Sora to be in her room, but not finding it a threat either. "Hello," she said politely.

Sora nodded back at her and said, "Is there anywhere I could go?"

Namine frowned slightly. "Sora, you shouldn't be moving around too much. You should rest. I can bring you some books if you want, though."

"It's okay." Sora half-grinned. "I'll be going back to my room, then."

He slipped past Namine, drifting through the endless corridors until he reached his destination. He stood in the middle of him pale white room, told himself absently that 'Namine says I need more rest' and promptly fell onto the bed with his eyes closed.

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><p>He nearly fell off the top of the tower. Heart racing, Sora slowly edged himself away from the ledge. He heard the sound of laughter coming towards him, and sure enough, four kids appeared, although their smiles slipped when they spotted Sora.<p>

"Er." he said, feeling incredibly awkward. "Hi."

The kids stared, and Sora shifted uncomfortably. The blonde boy (who looked suspiciously familiar) smiled a small, sincere smile and asked, "Who are you? I've never seen you around before."

"I'm Sora. I don't know where I am, actually."

"You're in Twilight Town," the boy said, with a funny look coming into his eyes. "_My _Twilight Town."

The only girl in the group stepped up. "I'm Olette. This is Roxas, that's Hayner over there, and Pence. Nice to meet you, Sora." Hayner passed a "Yo." in Sora's general direction, while Pence just nodded. Roxas ushered the group to sit, choosing for himself a spot next to Sora.

"Hey Pence, pass Sora here your extra sea-salt ice cream." he said, holding out a hand for the ice-cream. "He needs to learn the tradition."

Hayner cheered, while Pence passed the ice-cream a little reluctantly. Sora accepted it shyly, wondering if it was right of him to do so.

"It's alright," Roxas clapped Sora on the back, startling so that he nearly fell over again, "he always buys two to eat, the pig." Pence's cry of indignation was heard, and everybody laughed.

"Welcome to Twlight Town." Roxas said quieter this time, so that only Sora heard him.

"Thanks." Sora replied just as quietly. "…_Your _Twilight Town." and Roxas grinned at that, as though they had shared an inside joke.

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><p>It felt like the hours had melted into days, for Sora had no concept of time anymore. Roxas' gang had no problem with it, though, jumping from struggling to exploring the underground tunnels to occasionally running into Seifer's gang. When they got tired, they would either sit on the top of the tower (Sora learned the place was special to them) or go downtown and sprawl on top of a large, grassy field. They napped easily and quickly, and Sora actually had a hard time trying to get used to their resting habits, and trying to keep up.<p>

"When would the sun set?" Sora asked Roxas, when the rest had left them to go for another round of struggling, and Sora had passed out on a bench. Sora was captivated by how the sun drew long shadows on the ground and painted everything with a tint of red. Roxas, however, looked extremely disturbed by the question.

"It never does. That's why it's called Twilight Town." he frowned.

"Kind of quiet, too." Sora noted absently.

"We don't need anyone else." Roxas replied sharply. Sora was surprised at Roxas' harsh tone, immediately sensing that he had crossed a line somewhere.

"Oh, okay." he tried to amend, but Roxas had gotten up and walked away quickly, and Sora had no choice but to follow.

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><p>Predictably, Roxas went up the clock tower again. He sat still, exhibiting no sign of cheerfulness as he previously did at his 'special' place. Sora sidled up to him and swung his legs slowly, not entirely sure what to say. It was Roxas who first broke the silence.<p>

"Sometimes I honestly miss Axel and Xion."

"Who-?"

"They could truly be considered my best friends, you know?"

"Er, I don't-"

"Then I remember I'm not supposed to feel anything in the first place, but that's incredibly unfair for me to even comprehend."

Sora kept silent this time, but nodded encouragingly.

"They say I'm not supposed to have a heart, but these raging emotions- if even a Nobody can feel such pain, I don't want to even think of how bad it'll be _with _a heart."

Sora looked completely confused, but managed to say, "Why do you say that you don't have a heart?"

Roxas turned his gaze onto Sora, and Sora wondered if he had said the wrong thing.

"Sora… You don't even know how important you are in all this, do you? You've got no idea how many people are going to be affected, how many are going to die…" he trailed off. "You're the root of my problems, that giant chasm that's going to swallow me up, that's you."

Pain exploded in Sora's chest, and he gasped for air, clutching frantically at Roxas, his mind going blank for a moment as he regarded the distance towards the ground. Roxas grabbed him firmly by the arm, leaning down close and saying softly into Sora's ear, "You're the root of my problems, but you're also my salvation, and I can't help but love you so much I-" he broke off, and planted his lips onto Sora's gently.

"You're my other. I'm your Nobody. This isn't fair at all, but I don't think I care."

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><p>Sora wasn't sure how much time had passed before Hayner, Olette and Pence found them sitting on the ledge. After Roxas' surge of emotions, they conversed little, although the atmosphere was light and easy.<p>

"Thought we'd find you here." Hayner told Roxas, and Roxas grinned back.

"Hey, Sora. Are you okay?" Pence asked, poking the other boy. Pence found himself looking out for Sora more often, after all, they _did _share ice-cream. Sort of.

"Yeah," Sora answered slowly. "I'm just kind of tired. My head is pounding."

Olette frowned a little. "Roxas! Take better care of Sora!"

"What!" Roxas said, jerked out of his conversation with Hayner. "How is this my fault?"

Olette huffed, then suggested that they all go back to their usual place, to let Sora 'rest his poor, pretty head'. Hayner was the only one who grumbled, but everybody _was _concerned about Sora, so they agreed. Pence wanted to go through the railways again, so he went off alone, while Hayner left "to see if Seifer is still around so I can bash his pretty face in with my bat." and Olette wanted some ice-cream, so she sprinted off in the direction of the shops. Now that they were alone, Sora wondered whether it was proper to hold Roxas' hand. He had held Riku's hand plenty of time before, but they had been friends since _forever_. Roxas, however, was different. Sora was walking slowly, unconsciously lagging behind, and Roxas turned around to check on him, concern showing on his face.

"You okay?" he asked, waiting for Sora to catch up. Sora made no move to walk faster, neither did he reply, but when he did reach Roxas, he grabbed Roxas' hand defiantly, and glared as though daring Roxas to jerk away. Roxas looked slightly bewildered, but let Sora hold his hand all the way back to the usual place.

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><p>The usual place was empty like Roxas had expected. Pence would take his time walking around the tunnels, Hayner would get into a brawl with Seifer, and most likely Olette would chance upon them and try to keep the peace. Roxas slumped onto one end of the couch, and motioned for Sora to sit down. Sora took a seat next to him and grabbed his throbbing head with both hands. Roxas scoffed, then moved Sora around so that he was laid horizontal on the couch, head resting on Roxas' lap and legs dangling over the armrest.<p>

"Olette would yell at me again if I didn't take care of you," Roxas said, feeling as though he had to explain himself, his hands brushing absently through Sora's brown spikes. Sora waved Roxas' excuse away lazily with his hand, not even bothering to reply. Silence descended upon them, only to be broken when Roxas announced suddenly that he's never held hands before.

"What?" Sora sat up abruptly, surprised.

"I've never… held hands before." Roxas repeated, a little embarrassed.

"But why not?" Sora asked, scooting closer to Roxas, then said, "I hold hands with Riku all the time."

Roxas grimaced at the mention of Riku's name, then kissed Sora lightly. "I'm sure Riku doesn't mind this." he murmured against Sora's lips.

"You know Riku?" Sora's eyes snapped open, blinking twice. Roxas looked away, a small frown marring his face.

"I knew a Riku once."

"Really? He came back here? When?"

"He tried to kill me."

"He tried to- Riku wouldn't do something like that! I'm sure of it!" Sora insisted, face screwing up in desperation to believe in his best friend. Roxas shrugged and gently pushed Sora away.

"It's nothing. Rest, you need it."

Sora grudgingly returned to his previous position, but try as he might, he couldn't sleep a wink

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><p>He could remember things better now. He remembered Riku. He didn't know when the memory had come back, but he remembered his best friend, with that secret smile and silver hair of his. He remembered Kairi, his other best friend, who was waiting for him. He remembered how the three of them took long walks on the beach, listening to the waves, watching the stars, wondering what else was out there.<p>

He remembered home.

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><p>"Let's go to the beach!" Olette proposed, looking enthusiastically at the boys. "We've always wanted to go there!"<p>

The rest of the gang had just come back, and Olette handed out ice-cream bars to all of them. Sora ate his slowly, lost in thought. Roxas didn't eat his at all.

"Sure, it'd be great to get out of here and have some fun in the sun!" said Hayner, face lighting up at the prospect of a proper summer vacation. They've had this talk last year, and the year before last, yet somehow they never did manage to go…

"Let's not forget, the more the merrier." Pence laughed, nodding his head in Sora's direction.

Sora grinned weakly. The smell of the sea and the feel of the sand of Destiny Islands was still fresh in his mind. "The beach… Why not? It'll feel like…" he trailed off quietly, "…home." He spared Roxas a discreet glance. He was still staring at his slowly melting sea-salt ice-cream, silent. Sora nudged him gently. Roxas looked up with something akin to despair in his eyes, mumbling desperately, "I'm running out of time." and scared Sora rather badly at seeing how Roxas became unguarded and frantic. "Don't you see, Sora? I'm running out of time."

"Roxas?" Sora asked fearfully, clasping Roxas' shaking hands with his own.

"You're waking up."

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><p>Roxas liked to bring Sora up to the tower. Sora suspected it was partly because he honestly liked the place, and partly because he was a sadist, finding joy in watching Sora squirm uncomfortably at the height. Either way, most of his time with Roxas was spent overlooking the town. Sora still liked the view, even if the sun never set.<p>

"I want to show you the night sky, one day." Sora said, leaning into Roxas.

"What's that?"

"It's the opposite of day… how do I put it? The sun sets, and the light goes with it, but in the darkness that comes there are tiny bits of light, high up in the sky. They say that each star is another world."

"…how can there be no light? Where does the sun go?"

"It comes up again, the next day. It's magnificent, the sunrise. Just as beautiful as a sunset."

"And you call this darkness 'night'?"

"That's right. It's beautiful. You get to see the stars, and sometimes if you're lucky you see a shooting star, and if you wish on it, your wish will come true."

"Then it won't ever happen here. Night will never come to my Twilight Town." Roxas said, a hint of resentment to his voice."

"Why do you say so?" asked Sora, a little upset. "Things can change."

"Because there can _be _nothing I can wish on. And there will be no change. Things _can't _change here."

"But why not?" Sora persisted.

"Because I don't let it." Roxas replied heavily, and ended the conversation.

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><p>Roxas was disturbed when the sky darkened drastically a few hours later. He was walking the streets alone, because Sora was tired and wanted to rest. He turned around and sprinted towards the clock tower, <em>because something was wrong, hopelessly wrong<em>- he stopped suddenly, feeling the blood drain from his face as he watched the minute hand _move_.

Sora mumbled in his sleep, feeling as though he was half-conscious, a thin line grounding him to someplace else, and nothing made sense in his head, but he understood completely. Then his world of nothingness shattered, his life-line shuddering and starting to fray, snapping loudly, as shouts of his name grew louder until it roared through his entire being. His eyes blinked open in an instant, and he heard nothing but the quiet flapping of the cloth-door of the usual place, his own shallow breathing, and the heavy footsteps pounding on the pavement outside.

"Sora!" Roxas shouted when he barged into the small room wildly.

"Roxas?" Sora said uncertainly, panic gripping his heart at the same time. Roxas didn't bother to say anymore, instead turning around to drag Sora out into the dying sun.

Roxas didn't sugar-coat it. He had shown Sora the quickly darkening sky and the moving clock. He pointed out to Sora little differences in his Twilight Town: more nameless (but vaguely familiar) people roamed the streets, trams moved faster and more frequently, and somehow even the air smelled different. There was a crackling energy in the air, as though it was anticipating something big to happen.

"Sora, you're waking up."

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><p>Sora didn't want to wake up. If this was his subconscious like Roxas said, then he'd willingly stay here with Roxas. He still doesn't remember what he has in his 'true world', but if Roxas wasn't in it, then perhaps it wasn't worth going back to. He knows Roxas wouldn't be in it, because he asked whether Roxas would be waiting for him, and all he got was a small, sad smile. So Sora cried freely, because waking up was causing Roxas hurt- Roxas was losing his self, his meaning, his world.<p>

"Shhh," Roxas murmured softly, bringing Sora close to him, drawing him in. "It's okay. It's not your fault. My time was limited anyway."

"No- I don't want this! I want to _be with you_!"

Roxas chuckled humorlessly. "Don't be silly," he said, voice heavy with sorrow. "Sora, you _need_ to wake up. You can't stay here. It's not your place. So many others need your help."

Sora sobbed harder.

"You don't have to worry. I'm always with you. Always. Right here waiting." Roxas lifted Sora's chin and kissed away his tears. "I'm always here. Whether you remember or not." and Sora tasted something salty, yet sweet and filled with so much heartbreak that he was too choked up to breathe.

"Roxas," he said, voice trembling. "Roxas, it's night. I wanted to show you the stars, look…" The two lifted their tear-stained faces to the night sky, dotted with millions of tiny lights. Sora heard a sharp intake of breath. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" he continued. "I wish…" but Roxas kissed him silent before he could finish.

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><p>Sora blinked his eyes open to find himself in his white room. He got up, fixed the sheets, and went out to find Namine. She wasn't around, so he walked aimlessly, exploring. He was surprised to find the large gates unlocked and open slightly. Tentatively, he stepped out of the mansion's boundaries and into the woods.<p>

He made his way towards the tall walls at the end of the woods. There was a deafening silence all around, and each step he took echoed through the quiet loudly. He stepped through the giant crack in the wall without hesitation, and kept walking.

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><p>He was stopped by a group of kids at the Sandlot. "Hey!" the sandy blonde shouted at him, waving a bat around. "I've never seen you around before. What are you doing here?"<p>

"What do you want?" Sora replied impatiently, before chiding himself for being impolite.

"Whoa, chill, dude. Didn't mean you no harm, just wanted to tell you Seifer is in a bad mood, you might want to watch out."

"Sorry." Sora said apologetically, wondering who Seifer was. "Thanks, for the warning."

"No problem, kid. Just felt like I had to look out for you, y'know?" the blonde laughed easily. The girl beside him piped up.

"Have you tried our local specialty? Sea-salt ice-cream. We have one left over, I must have grabbed an extra…" she frowned slightly at her carelessness.

Sora shrugged. "Might as well. Thanks." And somehow he tasted the flavor before he bit into it, so he wasn't surprised at the burst of saltiness that followed, and said simply, "This is good."

The girl smiled. "It is, isn't it? It's his favorite." she added absently, as though she wasn't aware of what she was saying.

The blonde barged in again. "Anyway, who are you? We're sharing ice-creams, that makes us friends. I'm Hayner, she's Olette, and that's Pence."

Sora laughed, licking his ice-cream appreciatively. "My name is Sora."

Pence, who had been quietly all along, spoke up. "…Sora. It's like we were expecting you."

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><p>Sora took a deep breath when he arrived on the top of the clock tower. He expected to feel something, like a rush of adrenaline or a sudden bout of introspective guilt. He knew there was something to do, up so high in the air that his head felt light. Something important, something he promised, something that changed his life.<p>

He couldn't remember, for the life of him, what was so important. It was a nagging itch at the back of his mind.

He glanced around, taking in the sight of the bright red sun that splashed everything with a shade of dark orange and drew shadows all over the buildings.

_"Bet you don't know why the sun sets red. You see, light is made up of lots of colors. And out of all those colors, red is the one that travels the farthest."_

It was disturbing, because he was so sure that if he came up here he'd know, he'd understand, he'd find out. Now he's here, and there's nothing for him. He hugged himself and backed away from the ledge. A slight breeze was picking up, and he got a little cold...

Maybe there wasn't anything for him in the first place. Maybe his gut feeling was... wrong. But no, he was sure of it. His gut feeling is never wrong. Something was missing from this picture, the sunset, the town, the-

_blondehairblueeyesblackcloak_

-faint smell of something sweet and salty still lingering in the air.

He turned around and made his way back down the clock tower, where Hayner, Pence and Olette were waiting for him because they understood that it was personal and he needed some alone time.

"Guys? I just remembered I have something really important I need to do. I've got to leave."

"Oh." said Hayner in disappointment. "Alright, we'll send you off then."

Sora took one last look at the clock tower, then left the air that hung drenched with bittersweet saltiness.

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I didn't follow the actual KHII story- whether Sora really woke up, or whether he's stuck in another layer of his mind is up to you guys. I've been watching Inception too much. :\

Hope you guys enjoyed it, and don't forget to review! Reviews make me write faster, and more! :D


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